Monthly Archives: January 2016

Waiting on Wednesday with The Crown’s Game

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WAITING ON WEDNESDAY:

The Crown’s Game

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that highlights pre-publication/upcoming releases that readers cannot wait to get their hands on. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week my most anticipated read is…The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye

A picture of the beautiful cover and a brief summary provided by Goodreads is below:

The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game, #1)

Goodreads’ summary:

Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the Tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the Tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love . . . or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear . . . the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.

 

 Waiting on Wednesday’s Top 5 Rants and Raves of why I need this book in my life…

  1. First, the cover is breathtaking, creative, and I WANT IT NOW!
  2. The word “crown” is in the title. I’m currently a sucker for book titles with crown or queen in them. GIMME, WHY ISN’T THIS BOOK IN MY LIFE, YET?!
  3. MAGIC!!!
  4. A Russian setting. I have an immense fascination with Russian culture, literature, and history, so obviously this book has earned 100-bajillion points to Ravenclaw!
  5. And last, the synopsis provides hints to a complicated romance that is guaranteed to make me swoon. YES, PLEASE!

I NEED THIS BOOK IN MY LIFE, RIGHT NOW!!! *STOMP STOMP STOMP*

Release Date: May 17, 2016 

Top Ten Tuesday (#3)

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TOP TEN TUESDAY

HOSTED by The Broke and the Bookish

This week’s topic is…a FREEBIE! Top Ten Sequels/Companion Novels I look forward to reading in 2016

  1. The Skylighter  (The Keepers’ Chronicles, #2) by Becky Wallace
  2. Glass Sword (Red Queen, #2) by Victoria Aveyard
  3. Love Charms and Other Catastrophes (Grimbaud, #2) by Kimberly Karalius  (#TheGrimbaudLife)
  4. The Rose and the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn, #2) by Renee Ahdieh
  5. Walk the Edge (Thunder Road, #2) by Katie McGarry
  6. Untitled (Blood and Salt, #2) by Kim Liggett
  7. The King Slayer (The Witch Hunter, #2) by Virginia Boecker
  8. A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2) by Sarah J. Maas
  9. Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2) by Leigh Bardugo
  10. Cashmere (Velvet Trilogy, #2) by Temple West

EEEKKK! I can not wait to continue each of these series. What sequel or companion novel are you looking forward to reading this year? 

TOP 5 THURSDAY: Book Events

Posted in Book Event, Top 5 Thursday, YA Contemporary by

It’s Top 5 Thursday, where as the week is winding down, I tell you the Top 5 Things I’m looking forward to in regards to the bookish world. 

In the next few weeks, I am attending ALL the YA book events my local bookstore has scheduled. I love Joseph Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, and HOLY MOLY they are kicking up their game this year. HERE JOBE, TAKE ALL MY MONEY!!!the office -yes

I can’t keep up with all of this awesomeness. So this is why everyone in the bookish community has a planner, right? MY BOOKSTORE IS THE GREATEST!!
the office - blessed.jpg

 Top 5 Upcoming Book Events at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati

  1. Emily Henry’s The Love that Split the World on January 28, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
  2. Ally Carter’s See How They Run on January 29, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.
  3. Kiera Cass’s The Siren on February 1, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
  4. Melissa Lander’s Starflight on February 6, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.
  5. Marissa Meyer’s Stars Above on February 7, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. (this is a ticketed event)

And as a rewards member of Joseph Beth, I have already bought my VIP tickets to Marissa Meyers’ event, and I’m ready to join all the Lunartics!!!

the office - nailed it

For more information on the Joseph Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati and their events, please click HERE.

Will you be attending any of these events? What local book event are you looking forward to?

Top Ten Tuesday (#2)

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TOP TEN TUESDAY

HOSTED by The Broke and the Bookish

 

This week’s topic is…Top Ten Books I’ve Recently Added To My TBR

  1. The Girl Who Fell by Shannon M. Parker

  2. Going Geek by Charlotte Huang

  3. Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor

  4. Metaltown by Kristen Simmons

  5. The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

  6. All Hallows at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray

  7. Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

  8. Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes

  9. Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira

  10. The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

ARC REVIEW: WHEN WE COLLIDED

Posted in 5-Star Rating, ARC Review, Book Review, YA Contemporary by

ARC REVIEW of When We Collided by Emery Lord

Title: When We Collided
By: Emery Lord
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Pages: 352 (Hardcover)
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Print ARC
Source: Blogger book exchange

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

When We CollidedMeet Vivi and Jonah: A girl and a boy whose love has the power save or destroy them.

Vivi and Jonah couldn’t be more different. Vivi craves anything joyful or beautiful that life can offer. Jonah has been burdened by responsibility for his family ever since his father died. As summer begins, Jonah resigns himself to another season of getting by. Then Vivi arrives, and suddenly life seems brighter and better. Jonah is the perfect project for Vivi, and things finally feel right for Jonah. Their love is the answer to everything. But soon Vivi’s zest for life falters, as her adventurousness becomes true danger-seeking. Jonah tries to keep her safe, but there’s something important Vivi hasn’t told him.

Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart and Jandy Nelson, When We Collided is a powerful story of two teens whose love is put to the test by forces beyond their control.

 

MY REVIEW: 

 Poetic. Truthful. Heartbreaking. 

When We Collided is a very poetic and realistic, young adult contemporary that approaches many topics: fractured families, loss, jealousy, adulthood, mental illness, and the difficulty to dive into new friendships and hold on to old ones. 

When We Collided encompasses alternating perspectives between Vivi and Jonah. Both teenagers use their summer to explore the realities of life’s adventurous embraces, but also its severe punches. 

Vivi is full of life and is rambunctious at times. Her high-spirited soul and vintage-clothing-wearing lifestyle sways the reader through a pendulum of emotions—you will love her and her positive attitude—but sometimes her danger-seeking self becomes too much for both Jonah and the reader to endure. Do you ever stick your arms out and start spinning as fast as can, and in the end you’re restlessly dizzy? Vivi is that fun-loving girl that dares herself to spin and spin and spin as fast as she can. But Vivi is also that unwanted dizziness—that chaotic loss of control that you experience as you try to regain your balance and quickly make the world stand still again. 

The author, Emery Lord, strategically balances Vivi’s rollicking actions with Jonah’s maturity and endearing nature to take care of his family, friends, and neighbors. Jonah’s life is fractured. He has suffered unbearable loss, which is barely comforted but layered with responsibilities that are beyond his years to control. Jonah is cute, lovable, and the friend that everyone wants a good hug from. Even I want to hug him and state, “that hole in your life…that hole in your heart…will always hurt, but over time that hurt will just be an ache, a constant reminder that loss can never be forgotten. But don’t forget, you still have permission to laugh, cry, and live.” 

I’m not going to spoil the secrets and stories that the main characters withhold from each other, but in the end, the truth is leaked and hearts are meddled with. In When We Collided, Emery Lord reminds her readers that life does not always have a happy ending, a happy beginning, or even a happy in-between; however, sometimes we are lucky to have people that insert slits of laughter and joy into our existence, and in those times, we are truly alive. 

RANTS:         I know that all books have an ending, but I honestly did not want this book to end–it was that good. When We Collided will most definitely be a re-read for me when the hardcover is released.

RAVES:          Emery Lord eloquently sets up a very well-paced, heartfelt, and lyrical story for her readers. I also enjoyed the familial interactions that Vivi experiences with Jonah’s family, especially with his little sister. More importantly, I appreciated and loved how Emery effectively approaches the topics of parental loss and mental illness in a very truthful and honest manner.

NOTE:           I received this ARC through a book exchange with a fellow blogger/booklover. All statements and opinions are mine.

 

star rating

MY RATING

 

Waiting on Wednesday with The Winner’s Kiss

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WAITING ON WEDNESDAY:

The Winner’s Kiss

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that highlights pre-publication/upcoming releases that readers cannot wait to get their hands on. It is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week my most anticipated read is…The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

Here is a brief summary and a picture of the beautiful cover provided by Goodreads:

“War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it, with the East as his ally and the empire as his enemy. He’s finally managed to dismiss the memory of Kestrel, even if he can’t quite forget her. Kestrel turned into someone he could no longer recognize: someone who cared more for the empire than for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she cared for him. At least, that’s what he thinks.

But far north lies a work camp where Kestrel is a prisoner. Can she manage to escape before she loses herself? As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover unexpected roles in battle, terrible secrets, and a fragile hope. The world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and Kestrel and Arin are caught between. In a game like this, can anybody really win?”

GAAAAAHHHHH! You guys, my heart aches for the conclusion of Kestrel and Arin’s story. I need this novel like yesterday. If you haven’t read this series, please do yourself a favor and start it immediately. This trilogy contains duels, battles, secrets, a swoon-worthy love story, kisses, betrayal, friendships, daggers, and spies. The book release date is March 29, 2016.

Learn more about Marie Rutkoski and The Winner’s Kiss from the publisher Fierce Reads, the Young Adult portal for Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

You can pre-order the book from: AMAZON I Barnes & Noble I The Book Depository 

Top Ten Tuesday (#1)

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TOP TEN TUESDAY

HOSTED by  The Broke and the Bookish

 

This weeks topic is…Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant To Read in 2015

  1. Court of Fives by Kate Elliott
  2. Ice Like Fire  by Sara Raasch
  3. Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
  4. Firewalker by Josephine Angelini
  5. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
  6. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
  7. A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
  8. Winter by Marissa Meyer
  9. Rook by Sharon Cameron
  10. This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee